Flat iron support and holder



Feb. 21, 1967 AVERY 3,305,200

FLAT IRON SUPPORT AND HOLDER Filed Oct. 18, 1965 HArzoLo B.AVEE.Y

mamiwmagfwma ATTORNEY 5' llnited States ice 3,305,200 FLAT IRON SUPPORT AND HOLDER Harold B. Avery, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to I. R. Associates, Inc., New Orleans, La., a corporation of Louisiana Filed Oct. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 37,144 6 Claims. (1. 248117.6)

This invention relates to a fiat iron support and more particularly to a support and holder for either steam or dry flat irons which is adapted to be mounted on a conventional ironing board and also to be readily disassembled to provide a wall bracket holder for the flat lron.

In the use of most flat irons on conventional ironing boards, it is customary to rest the flat iron on its heel portion when it is not being used in the actual ironing operation. With the heated flat iron in such a precarious position there is considerable danger of it being toppled over, causing it to fall to the ground and result possibly in considerable damage to the flat iron and perhaps even serious injury to the user and others. Such toppling is very likely to occur as a result of an accidental swinging arm movement of the user as the garment being ironed is rearranged on the board, an accidental tripping over the electrical cord of the flat iron or even by a slight jostling of the board itself.

In the prior art there are various types of flat iron supports which are adapted generally to be attached to or rest upon the ironing :board. Such prior art supports, however, have been found not to be entirely satisfactory in providing a support which is sufiiciently adapted to be conveniently mounted at various accessible locations on the ironing board and to prevent either the support or the flat iron from being toppled over whenever any part of the iron, the support for the iron, or even the ironing board is disturbed.

Another disadvantage of conventional flat iron supports is that they invariably take up a considerable amount of area on the ironing board which substantially reduces the amount of ironing space, and also that they are likely to interfere with the rearranging of the garment or other cloth article being ironed. Furthermore, such prior art supports do not provide a suitable unit which will position and retain the iron on its heel at a convenient angle to the surface of the ironing board, which is particularly desired as in the use of steam irons wherein it is preferred to have the Water settle away from the toe portion thereof when not in use.

Accordingly, it is the general object of this invention to provide an improved support and holder for flat irons, adapted to be mounted on conventional ironing boards.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved support and holder for flat irons which can be detachably mounted at conveniently accessible locations on a conventional ironing board.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved support and holder for fiat irons which can be rigidly clamped to the edge of a conventional ironing board and which will sufiiciently retain the iron thereon to prevent the topping thereof whenever the support, the iron, or any part thereof, or the ironing board is jostled or otherwise disturbed.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improved support and holder for flat irons adapted to be mounted on conventional ironing boards which require a minimum amount of area on the working surface of the ironing board.

Another object of this invention is to provide a support and holder for flat irons adapted to be mounted on conventional ironing boards and which also is adapted to be easily disassembled to provide a convenient wall bracket holder for the iron.

A further object of this invention is to provide a support and holder for flat irons adapted to be mounted on an ironing board to support the iron in an upright position resting on its heel portion.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention Will become more apparent to those persons skilled in the art, from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention shown mounted on an ironing board or other suitable object;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 22 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 33 in FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment illustrated in exploded relation.

Briefly described, the present invention is concerned with a flat iron support and holder generally comprising a mounting means having means for detachably securing the mounting means to an ironing board, a support means removably mounted on the mounting means, the support means including a frame member having a configuration the shape of the profile of the bottom of a flat iron, a base plate member mounted on the frame member for seating the flat iron, and the support means having means for retaining the flat iron seated on the base plate member. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the frame member includes arcuate sides terminating at a forward point, and the base plate member extends between the arcuate sides of the frame member, having the sides thereof rolled from under and around the arcuate sides of the frame member to secure the base plate member to the frame member.

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated an embodiment of the invention. This embodiment generally includes a mounting member 10 which is adapted to be secured to an ironing board 11, and a support member 12 which is adapted to be removably mounted on the mounting member 10. The mounting member 10 comprises a C-shaped section 13, including an upper leg portion 14 adapted to be seated on the ironing "board 11, a lower leg portion 15, having a clamp type screw member 16 which engages the bottom surface of the ironing board, and a connecting portion 17, a post member 18 projecting upwardly from the free end of the upper leg portion 14 and inclined preferably at an angle of about 45 to the upper leg portion, and a back stop member 19 disposed at the lower end of the post member 18, substantially perpendicular thereto.

The support member 12 generally comprises a frame member 20 and a base plate member 21. The frame member 20 has a configuration generally the shape of the profile of the bottom of a flat iron and includes arcuate side members 22 and 23 which are spaced apart at one end thereof and terminate at a forward point 24. The base plate member 21 also has a configuration the shape of the profile of the bottom of a flat iron and has the lateral sides 25 and 26 thereof rolled from under and around the arcuate sides of the frame member to secure the base plate member to the frame member, as best illustrated in FIGURE 3. The rear end of the base plate member is provided with a flange portion 27 which is disposed substantially perpendicular to the main portion of the base plate member, which supports the heel of the flat iron when the support member either is mounted on the mounting member 10, or suspended from a projection on a vertical surface. The forward end of the base plate member terminates short of the forward point 24, to provide an opening 28, as best illustrated in FIGURES l and 2, to permit the support member 12 to be suspended from a nail or hook on a vertical wall surface when the support member 12 is removed from the mounting member 10.

Formed on the bottom surface of the base plate member is a sleeve member 29 which is adapted to receive the upwardly inclined post member 18 when the support member 12 is mounted on the mounting member 10. In the mounting position, when the post member 18 is received within the sleeve member 29, the flange portion 27 of the base plate member engages the back stop 19 of the mounting member.

The forward end of the support member is provided with a rigid retaining strap 30, which is adapted to receive and retain the toe portion of the flat iron when the flat iron is seated on the support member. The shape of the strap 22 substantially conforms to the contour of the top surface of the toe portion of the flat iron and is slightly larger, to permit the flat iron to be easily inserted and removed therefrom without interference from the flange portion 27 at the opposite end of the support member. The strap member 30 is secured to the base plate member 21 by having the lateral end portions 32 and 33 forced between the inturned sides 25 and 26 of the base plate member and the upper surface of the base plate member, as best illustrated in FIGURE 3. In addition, the base plate member 21 is formed with laterally spaced, longitudinally extending ribs 31 on which the flat iron rests.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the flat iron is mounted on the support member 12, so that the bottom of the iron rests on the longitudinally extending grooves 31, the heel portion thereof engages the flange portion 27, and the top portion thereof is retained by the strap member 30. With the flat iron thus mounted on the support member 12, the unit either can be mounted on the mounting member or hung from a nail or hook on a wall member. To mount the support member with the flat iron on the mounting member 10, the support member simply is lowered onto the mounting member so that the post member 18 is received within the sleeve member 29 thereof, and the flange portion 27 engages the back stop member 19. To mount the support member with the flat iron on a wall for storage purposes, the support member is simply placed against the wall so that the nail or hook on the wall is received through the opening 28.

It will be appreciated, as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2, that the mounting member having the support member removably mounted thereon, can be clamped to the edge of the ironing board at any desired location, conveniently accessible to the user. The flat iron resting on the base plate member has its heel portion suitably supported by the flange portion 27 engaging the back stop member 19, and is prevented from tipping backwards by means of the strap member retaining the toe portion thereof. In the event that the ironing board is jostled or that either the support of the flat iron is struck or otherwise disturbed, the iron will be prevented from toppling and falling on the floor, thus avoiding possible damage to the flat iron or serious injury to any person.

Furthermore, it will be noted that by simply grasping the handle of the fiat iron while in the position as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the flat iron and support member can be lifted off of the mounting member as a unit and mounted on a wall for storage in the suspended position while the iron is still heated.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be evident that there are a number of changes, adaptauons and modifications of the present invention which come within the province of those skilled in the art. However, it is intended that all such variations not departing from the spirit of the invention be considered as within the scope thereof as limited solely by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A flat iron support and holder suitable for use with an ironing board comprising a mounting means having means for detachably securing the mounting means to an ironing board, a support means removably mounted on said mounting means, said support means including a frame member having a configuration the shape of the profile of the bottom of a flat iron, a base plate member mounted on said frame member for seating a flat iron, said support means having means for retaining said flat iron seated on said base plate member, said frame member including arcuate sides terminating at a forward point and the base plate member extending between the arcuate sides, having the sides thereof rolled from under and around the arcuate sides of the frame member to secure the base plate member to the frame member, and said retaining means including a strap member for retaining the toe portion of the flatiron when the flatiron is seated on the base plate member, permitting the toe portion of the flatiron to project beyond the strap member, having the lateral ends thereof extending between the arcuate sides of the frame member and the base plate member to secure the strap member to the frame member and the base plate member.

2. A flat iron support and holder according to claim 1, wherein the front end of said base plate member terminates short of the forward point of the frame member to provide an opening in the support means for suspend= ing the same from a projection on a vertical surface when the support means with the flat iron seated thereon is removed from the mounting means.

3. A flat iron support and bolder according to claim 1, wherein the base plate member is provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs for seating the fiat iron, and an upwardly projecting flange portion for retaining the rearward end of the support means when" mounted on the mounting means.

4. A flat iron support and bolder according to claim 1, wherein the mounting means comprises a C-shaped clamping member having an upwardly projecting, inclined mounting post and the base plate member is provided with an opening disposed on the bottom side there of for receiving said mounting post.

5. A flat iron support and holder according to claim 4, wherein the clamping member includes a projection projecting upwardly substantially perpendicular to said inclined mounting post providing a back stop for the support means when the support means is mounted on the inclined mounting post.

6. A flat iron support and holder according to claim 1, wherein the front end of the base plate member terminates short of the forward point of the frame member to provide an opening in the support means for suspending the same from a projection on a vertical surface when the support means with the flat iron seated thereon is removed from the mounting means, the base plate member is provided with a pluarlity of longitudinally extending ribs for seating the flat iron and an upwardly projecting flange portion for retaining the heel of the fiat iron when the flat iron is supported on said ribs, the mounting means comprises a C-shaped clamping member having an upwardly projecting, inclined mounting post and a projection pro 5 6 jecting upwardly substantially perpendicular to the in- 859,013 7/ 1907 Roberts et al. 248-224 clined mounting post for retaining the rearward end of the 1,710,812 4/ 1929 Dorwin et al. 248-117.2 support means When mounted on the mounting means and 1,928,563 9/ 1933 Hetzel 248-43 the base member is provided with an opening disposed on 2,341,090 2/1944 Gey 248-1173 the bottom side thereof for receiving said inclined mount- 5 2,529,132 11/ 1950 Burnish et a1. 248117.1 ing post. 2,657,000 10/ 1953 Tonks 248-117.6 References Cited by the Examiner 3,176,947 4/ 1965 Inverso 248117.6

UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 179,471 7/ 1876 Campbell 248-226 809,233 7/ 1949 Germany. 473,073 4/1892 Lemaire 248-40 10 599,409 2/ 1898 Walker 248229 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FLAT IRON SUPPORT AND HOLDER SUITABLE FOR USE WITH AN IRONING BOARD COMPRISING A MOUNTING MEANS HAVING MEANS FOR DETACHABLY SECURING THE MOUNTING MEANS TO AN IRONING BOARD, A SUPPORT MEANS REMOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID MOUNTING MEANS, SAID SUPPORT MEANS INCLUDING A FRAME MEMBER HAVING A CONFIGURATION THE SHAPE OF THE PROFILE OF THE BOTTOM OF A FLAT IRON, A BASE PLATE MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME MEMBER FOR SEATING A FLAT IRON, SAID SUPPORT MEANS HAVING MEANS FOR RETAINING SAID FLAT IRON SEATED ON SAID BASE PLATE MEMBER, SAID FRAME MEMBER INCLUDING ARCUATE SIDES TERMINATING AT A FORWARD POINT AND THE BASE PLATE MEMBER EXTENDING BETWEEN THE ARCUATE SIDES, HAVING THE SIDES THEREOF ROLLED FROM UNDER AND AROUND THE ARCUATE SIDES OF THE FRAME MEMBER TO SECURE THE BASE PLATE MEMBER TO THE FRAME MEMBER, AND SAID RETAINING MEANS INCLUDING A STRAP MEMBER FOR RETAINING THE TOE PORTION OF THE FLATIRON WHEN THE FLATIRON IS SEATED ON THE BASE PLATE MEMBER, PERMITTING THE TOE PORTION OF THE FLAT IRON TO PROJECT BEYOND THE STRAP MEMBER, HAVING THE LATERAL ENDS THEREOF EXTENDING BETWEEN THE ARCUATE SIDES OF THE FRAME MEMBER AND THE BASE PLATE MEMBER TO SECURE THE STRAP MEMBER TO THE FRAME MEMBER AND THE BASE PLATE MEMBER. 